Support for net zero has declined in the face of negative media coverage. This is largely due to a failure to communicate what net zero is and how it can benefit Britain.

We demand that the media address this bias by showing these benefits.

Net zero is already an asset to the country: over 22,000 net zero businesses contribute £83 billion and 950,000 jobs to the UK economy. Efficient renewable technologies can benefit ordinary people, with Oxford research suggesting that a net zero energy system could save the average household £380 a year.

If we do not reach net zero, Britain will suffer significant climate impacts by 2050. At the current rate of warming, heat-related deaths will exceed 10,000 per year, flood risk will affect a quarter of homes, food prices will increase by a third, and economic output could be reduced by 7% of GDP. 

British policy, technology, and investment could play a significant role in reaching net zero globally, and avoiding these impacts.

Yet media coverage of net zero fails to discuss these benefits: in 2024, 41% of UK media articles about net zero did not even mention “climate change”. As such, we demand that the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 correct this oversight by producing articles and documentary programmes that demonstrate the benefits of net zero.

References

DESNZ (2025), Public Attitudes Tracker: Net Zero and climate change, Summer 2025. desnz-public-attitudes-tracker-summer-2025

CBI Economics (2025), Growth and innovation in the UK’s net zero economy. growth-and-innovation-in-the-uks-net-zero-economy

University of Oxford (2024), Adopting net zero technologies will save UK economy billions, finds Smith School analysis. net-zero-technologies-will-save-uk-economy-billions

Climate Change Committee (2025), ​​​​The country is not prepared for climate impacts, say advisors.​ the-country-is-not-prepared-for-climate-impacts